Apple App Store has alarming number of scams, says new report

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Apple's App Store is rife with scam apps, says a new report.

"Of the highest 1,000 grossing apps on the App Shop, nearly 2 percentage are scams," The Washington Post reported yesterday (June 6), based on analysis conducted by its reporters. "Those apps have bilked consumers out of an estimated $48 million during the time they've been on the App Store."

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Among the worst offenders were three VPN apps, which promised more secure net connections but delivered "scareware" ads designed to frighten people into buying fake iPhone antivirus software, and a QR-code reader that charges $v per week for a office that's already built into iOS. There were also three doubtable dating apps.

"Apple profits from these apps considering information technology takes a cut of up to a 30 percent of all revenue generated through the App Store," said the Mail service, which is owned by Amazon head honcho Jeff Bezos.

Of the eighteen apps that The Post reported to Apple as scams, 12 had been removed past the time of the Post story's publication.

Although Apple now has a Mac App Store for its desktop and laptop apps, the Post'south story focused on iOS apps. It analyzed the top 1,000 apps equally reported by Apple on April 21.

The Mail service'southward study comes right before Apple's WWDC 2021 conference, at which the company is expected to unveil iOS 15, macOS 12 and mayhap new hardware. This is also two weeks after testimony concluded in the Epic Games vs. Apple vs. civil trial, during which Apple's tight command of the App Store was scrutinized. A decision in the example is expected afterward this year.

Apple insists that its firm control over the App Store is necessary to protect users from malicious apps. There'south no denying that the effort's been largely successful. Over the iPhone's xiv-yr existence, the number of "in the wild" instances of iOS malware has barely croaky double digits. Contrast that with Google's Play Shop for Android, in which hundreds of malicious apps are discovered every year.

It doesn't accept to be malware to be malicious

But scams don't accept to exist malware. One software developer told the Mail he paid $nineteen for an iPhone app in the App Store that said it was a remote command for a Samsung Television set set, simply the app turned out to be fake.

The software developer told the Post that he causeless that any app in the App Store had to be genuine, because it would take been reviewed by Apple.

"If people do believe or are not worried about existence scammed, then there's going to be a lot of victimization," an economics professor told the Post. (The app was not i of the 18 that the Post found on its own.)

That app, called "Smart Things: Smart View App," was still in the App Store today (June 7). Information technology claims to "Remote control your Samsung Smart Television set" as well as "Cast Media Files from Dropbox & Google Drive" and "Search and cast your favorite music tracks," among other functions.

The app is free to download, simply then charges subscription fees on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis offset at $ane.99. A "Lifetime" subscription is available for $19.99. The listed developer, TV Cast Company Ltd., also makes apps that claim to be remote controls for Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and LG and Vizio (spelled "Vizo") Boob tube sets.

Vii similar apps made by the same company are in the Google Play Store for Android. There is no contact information, or much information of whatsoever kind, on the TV Bandage company website, https://tvcast.in/. Registry information for the website domain name was blocked.

In a separate Twitter thread yesterday, Mac and iOS software developer Jeff Johnson said that the App Store is a perfect hunting ground for scammers.

"Everything about App Shop that supposedly makes it easier for developers to reach and sell to customers makes it easier for scams," Johnson wrote. "In fact, information technology's easier for scams than for honest devs, because the latter won't buy faux ratings, reviews, write misleading descriptions, manipulate keywords, etc."

I don't think most people sympathise the economic science of scams.Everything about App Shop that supposedly makes it easier for developers to achieve and sell to customers makes it easier for scams. In fact, information technology'south easier for scams than for honest devs, considering the latter won't purchase fakeJune 6, 2021

Encounter more

"We hold developers to loftier standards to proceed the App Store a safety and trusted place for customers to download software, and we will e'er take activity against apps that pose a damage to users," an Apple spokesperson told the Post.

Tom'southward Guide has also reached out to Apple for comment, and nosotros will update this story when we receive a reply.

Paul Wagenseil is a senior editor at Tom's Guide focused on security and privacy. He has too been a dishwasher, fry melt, long-booty driver, code monkey and video editor. He'south been rooting effectually in the information-security space for more than 15 years at FoxNews.com, SecurityNewsDaily, TechNewsDaily and Tom's Guide, has presented talks at the ShmooCon, DerbyCon and BSides Las Vegas hacker conferences, shown upwards in random TV news spots and fifty-fifty chastened a panel discussion at the CEDIA home-technology briefing. Y'all tin follow his rants on Twitter at @snd_wagenseil.